Anything but Dead and Gone

Before Benny and the others finally left to fend for themselves in the Rot and Ruin, there were bad things happening that didn't even involve zombies. Unbeknownst to them, bad, bad people had survived and even thrived in a world where the dead rose to eat the living. In Dead and Gone, a story Jonathan Maberry wrote to precede Flesh and Bone, the third book in the series, we get to see just how our new character, Riot, came to find the group. 

The Night Church is the epitome of terror, established by a serial killer who anoints his followers as Reapers, meant to quiet the living and bring them back as the walking dead. But the daughter of his second in command doesn't want to live the life of a Reaper anymore.  She manages to get away, but Sister Margaret is too valuable for the Night Church to let her go. Now she is on the run, fighting through the gray people to escape the Reapers, but they forgot one thing. She isn't Sister Margaret anymore. She is Riot, and Riot is in control of her own life. 

First of all, if you have read anything by Jonathan Maberry, you know what a fabulous writer he is. Whether his adult or young adult stories, they are equally as enthralling and exciting, so it is no surprise this simple, short little story would be jut as fabulous. Riot is a butt-kicken girl and the people she encounters out in the Rot and Ruin are just as awesome. If you have read the Rot and Ruin series, pick this up, but even if you haven't, maybe reading this short story will convince you to read more!

Just Like You

"I swear to you fat is not an emotion. I wish you could hear that... it'd spare you lots of self abuse."

Typically, Young Adult authors are adults. Sure, they have lived through high school and their awkward teenage years, but they aren't currently entrenched in them. Perhaps they have glorified those times, or maybe they view them like being the lone survivor of a zombie plague- all alone and waiting to be devoured by the beasts surrounding you. Either way, they aren't part of the target audience for whom they write their books. So can they make the young adults they write for believe they lived through the same situations? Yep. With one book. In Dear Teen Me, a collection of letters from the authors to their teen selves, you will get a glimpse of just how much they can connect to the teens they write for.

"You know there is no way in hell a guy like him would ever kiss a girl like you, you think."

There are moms who left. Left behind was a girl who had to raise her younger siblings and needed her grandmother to buy her first bra for her. Dads who left an never called, creating an almost obsessive need for attention of any kind. There was a dad who suffered from mental illness in a way that devastated her childhood. And there were great parents who loved, comforted, angered, yelled, supported and loved some more.

"Here's the thing: You're a freak. Always were. Always will be. One day you'll love this about yourself. But right now you hate it."

There are band geeks, theater dropouts, book nerds, smart kids, dancers, jocks, chubby kids, and so much more. Some had a defining moment like when Big Bern (scary Sister Bernard Agnes) recognized you were a fish out of water and suggested you spend some time in the library, the exact spot where you finally fit in. Some just floated through, realizing only now that they missed an amazing opportunity. But they all have something in common. They had no idea who the hell they really were and who the hell they were going to be one day. And that was OK. Because eventually, they would know. 

"The goose egg on your forehead will heal, but the loose thread in your moral fiber is probably still there to this day."

There were bullies. Some were expected, and some were unexpected. Those were inexplicably sadder. Sometimes the bullied became the bully just to turn the tide a little bit. There were cruel taunts and jabs that will stay with you forever. But there were friends. A girl who let you know it is OK to stop worrying about homework and tests and just be free. Friends who want to play Dungeons and Dragons or belong to the breakdancing group right along with your rhythm-less self. And did you know Lauren Oliver and Elizabeth Miles were friends in school?! How awesome and crazy is that?!

"Keep dancing by the highway, you splendid little dork."

There are first crushes, first kisses, and attempts to lose your virginity. There are milestones and drudgery, but it is all that time you need to spend finding yourself, losing yourself, and finding yourself again. This is all the advice you wish someone had told you when you were a teenager, but then you stop and realize even if they had told you, you would have ignored them and made those same mistakes again. This book should not only be read by students from middle school through their young adult years, but also adults as well. Parents, teachers, and just the woman debating whether or not to go to her high school reunion because she was once an awkward young girl who dreaded every day of high school. I loved this collection. Loved it. And there is nothing you will ove more than watching someone realize those very authors you look up to were struggling through the same horror show you went through during adolescence. (And not Rocky Horror Picture Show, kind of horror either. There was no bustier and singing. This was more like Jason and hockey mask). 

"PLEASE stop pretending you don't know the answers in math class! It's okay to be smarter than they boys. Really. They'll get over it."

No Glitch in the System

We have seen Cinder's life, full of prejudice against a cyborg, an unloving stepmother, and a plague ravaging her world. But how did Cinder come to live with her stepmother and stepsisters? In Glitches, a short prequel story to Cinder, Marissa Meyer tells the tale of Cinder's arrival.

When Garan is entrusted with Cinder's welfare, he takes his job seriously, bringing her into his family as his daughter. She doesn't know how to feel about the man she can call dad, but she does feel grateful. When they arrive, however, not everyone is happy to see her. Peony welcomes Cinder, but Adri and Pearl are unimpressed by the cyborg they must now call "family". But as long as Garan is there, he will hold the family together...

These short stories publishers are pushing out in between the releases of series installments fall into three distinct categories: necessary for plot advancement and should be put in the next book, unnecessary for plot advancement but enjoyable and helps you appreciate the series, and completely useless and wasted your $.99. I will pay my measly buck for the first two, but the latter ticks me off. Luckily, this little short (which is available on TOR.com for free) falls into the second category. We already knew the dynamic between Cinder and her sisters and stepmother, but it was still interesting to watch it unfold in this short tale. It makes you love Garan more, and sympathize with Cinder, and love Peony and hate Adri, but then again, you already felt those emotions in Cinder. So, if you love the series, don't hesitate to check this freebie out. It will hold you over until the next book is over!

Deadly But Not Silent

A peaceful death is something we all take for granted, but if you can see a death echo, a body's connection to the person or creature that ended its life prematurely, you know all too well how many deaths are far from peaceful. In Kimberly Derting's Dead Silence, Violet's life has taken a very violent turn.

It was bad enough that Violet lived her life stumbling upon dead bodies, animal and otherwise, but when she was taken by a serial killer, her last resort was to kill him, leaving her with her own death echo connecting her to his life which she took. She can't help but think it was all connected to the team, and that without them, she never would have had to kill a man in self-defense. As she learns to cope with her new life, she stumbles upon the journals of her grandmother, the woman from whom her gift of sensing the echoes came from. It is in these journals that Violet begins to uncover the truth of her team and the people pulling their strings- a dangerous truth.

Meanwhile, she is drawn into another series of imprints that lead her to a family brutally slaughtered in their home. Unable to ignore the imprints, she finds the bodies and must rely on her team for help. It is through this case, one that involves a missing teenaged girl, Violet's childhood friend as the primary suspect, and more murders piling up, that Violet begins to look carefully at her own life and her own gift. But more than anything, Violet wants to keep those she loves safe, and when you can't stop finding murderers, it is hard to feel safe anywhere you go. 

I was really surprised in the last book when Violet's involvement with the team took a turn for the worst. I actually really liked the idea of the team, so it was hard to think of it as a bad thing, but in this installment, we get to see a lot of the politics and history behind it, making the team a fascinating, morally ambiguous group that you can't get enough of. While I think four books would have been tough without the team, its presence gives a whole new dimension to Violet and her ability. And what a terrifying ability to have! I am glad Derting has added this level of sophistication to the story, as it has certainly held my interest and then some! In fact, although I am fairly certain this is the final book in the series, I would love if she would just keep going with it! There is so much more to be done with the team and Violet's personal life (Oh, I love Jay). 

This is a good series for many readers. It is interesting, mature at times, and the series doesn't ever dull. I would give this series to a number of different kinds of students, in particular older readers interested in true crime or mild supernatural stories. Derting creates realistic, skeptical characters who aren't afraid to question authority, a quality I whole-heartedly appreciate! So, please, Ms. Derting, Give. Us. MORE!

No One Wants School Spirits

The Prodigium live by a set of rules, but not everyone wants to follow those rules. When a Prodigium threatens people, the Brannicks are there to help. In a spin-off from the Hex Hall series, Isolde Brannick is put to the test with her first solo case. But School Spirits might prove to be more than she can handle.

Izzy lives the life of a Brannick. Once the fearless hunters of Prodigium, the Brannicks are now essentially the Prodigium police. They take care of any supernatural creatures who get carried away or go rogue and could hurt the mortals around them. During a routine bust a few months ago, Izzy's sister Finn disappeared. Now the only two Brannick's left are Izzy and her mother. When they get word of a haunting in a school, Izzy is given her first solo job. And hauntings can get ugly quick, but not as ugly as high school.

After watching enough teen TV shows to have a vague idea of what happens in an actual high school, Izzy sets off to do recon and blend in. Immediately she finds a handful of kids in a Ghost Hunting club. Mostly mocked, ignored if they are lucky, Dex, Romy, and Anderson make up the rag tag group investigating the haunting of the school that has already left one teacher in a near coma. While hauntings are relatively simple to solve, humans toying around with the supernatural is never a good thing. While Izzy should be maintaining a decent distant, it is hard not to start to really care for the kids in the group. But in a case, the minute you get attached, you put yourself in danger, and everyone around you. 

I really loved the Hex Hall series, so I was stoked to see a new series from the same world. And having it focus more on the Brannicks, in charge of controlling the unruly Prodigium, is even better yet. We saw the Brannicks toward the end of the first series, and while I wanted more of the Prodigium there, now I am very happy to have their side of the story. You could, however, easily read this story without having read the first series, but knowledge of Hex Hall will just help you to understand the world the Brannicks work in. There was a lot left open for the continuation of the series, like Izzy missing sister and the warlock trapped in a mirror who predicts Izzy will be the one to finally free him (something she repeatedly tells him won't happen).  

The story is very clean, perfect for a middle reader or a low-skilled young adult reader. It has a great amount of action, the dialogue is witty, and Izzy is a trip. It would catch any kid's attention. I look forward to more of the Brannicks to come, and in particular, to have a chance to watch Izzy come into her own!

Carter Kane Meets Percy Jackson

Carter Kane has battled and won against Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Percy Jackson has done the same with Greek Gods and Goddesses. If the Greek and Roman mythological figures and beasts can come together in The Heroes of Olympus, why can't Greek and Egyptian mythology come together? Well, speculate no further! In The Son of Sobek, Carter and Percy have to do the hardest thing two heroes can do- work together.

Carter is confident (somewhat) that he can handle the giant bedazzled crocodile that is terrorizing Long Island. That is, before it eats him. being squished inside the gullet of a giant crocodile isn't exactly his idea of a good time, but at least the croc was big enough to eat him in one gulp instead of biting him in half. While Carter is still trying to figure out what to do next, the croc spits him up, right in front of some strange kid. When it is clear the kid can see the croc, not some watered down version mortals would see, he realizes this is no normal boy. Together, Carter Kane and Percy Jackson must get rid of a crocodile that likes to munch on cars and can flatten a house. But there is something more disturbing going on. Something that would send an Egyptian monster right into the heart of Camp Half-Blood, thus bringing together Carter and Percy.

OK, I hate to speculate, but this felt like Riordan was setting up a massive new series that brought together Eyptian, Roman, and Greek mythology. *insert loony squeal here* I hope this really is the case and this wasn't just one lone short story, because nothing would be better than seeing everyone come together for a final series (because honestly, a world where there are no more Kane and Jackson novels to come out is just a world not worth living in!). This was a fabulous little story that gives you just enough of a tease to keep you sated until House of Hades comes out! So fingers crossed. Mr. Riordan, we want a series where they all come together and throw the world for a loop! Puh LEASE?!

WE WANT MORE!

The Gallagher Girls like the fact that you wouldn't believe a bunch of young women were really spies. In fact, they count on it. The group of career criminals, jewel thieves, and con artists who count Kat Bishop among their ranks count on the same thing- to you, they are just another group of teens, not master thieves who can break into the most highly secured art museums in the world. In Double Crossed, Ally Carter brings together the spies and the thieves for one action-packed, doubly brilliant short story. 

Macey McHenry is the senator's daughter, but no one would expect she was also a trained Gallagher Girl. W. W. Hale V is the heir to a fortune you wouldn't believe, but really he just loves a good con. Neither knows the true nature of the other, and there is nothing worse than underestimating your opponent... or in this case, your ally. When, at a high society function, men armed to the teeth hold everyone hostage, it doesn't take Hale and Macey long to realize they have no intention of bagging the wallets and jewels and running. They want something bigger. But that bigger is hidden inside an impenetrable safe. How can two teens save a room full of people? If you have to ask, you don't know Hale or the Gallagher Girls!

OK, first, I must take a moment to BEG Carter to start a new series that brings these two groups together. Come ON! Give me a cross-over series! This was such a TEASE! It was a fabulous way to bring the two groups together and truly showcased ALL their talents. I love the fact that the Gallagher Girls are typically on the "good side" and jewel thief is considered "bad" (although these guys specialize in returning goods that have been misappropriated to their rightful owners). Yet when they come together, especially cool guy Hale and sassy Macey, it was magic! I loved this, and if you have read the two series, you should check this out. If you haven't, I have one thing to say to you- What are you WAITING for!!